Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mackay: If you believe, you are sure to succeed
"Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to."
When Henry Ford said those oh-so-true words, he wasn't just talking about himself - even though he was the epitome of determination. He went belly-up several times, but never lost sight of his goal. He believed in himself and in what he was doing. In the end, he was so right.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't accomplish your goals. Who says you're not tougher, better, harder-working, smarter and more able than your competition? It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it. If you believe in yourself, there's hardly anything you can't accomplish.
Most actors fail before they succeed. Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman were both voted by their acting classmates as "least likely to succeed." And how many of those classmates can boast an Academy Award? Woody Allen failed in both the motion-picture-production classes he attended in college. Lucky for him, his film audiences gave him better grades. Harrison Ford was told by movie executives that he simply didn't have what it took to be a star. Of course, he proved them wrong by starring in "Star Wars," the Indiana Jones series and a string of movies that have grossed more than $6 billion.
Some of the most successful singers in history have overcome bumpy starts as well. Diana Ross and the Supremes were flops on their first nine records, but the 10th took them to the top of the charts. After only one performance, Elvis Presley was fired in 1954 by Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, who told him, "You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck." One recording company executive told the Beatles: "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
What part of "no" didn't these people understand? The part that said "no confidence." They had every confidence that they could achieve and succeed.
Business legends are no different. We all know about inspirational success stories such as Bill Gates, Col. Harland Sanders and R.H. Macy.
As I've said so many times, if we want to triple our success ratio ... we might have to triple our failure rate.
Any time I feel like quitting, I just look at a framed poster I have hanging in our office:
- He failed in business in '31.
- He ran as a state legislator and lost in '32.
- He tried business again in '33 and failed again.
- His fiancee died in '35.
- He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
- He was defeated for Congress in '43, defeated again for Congress in '48, defeated when he ran for the Senate in '55 and defeated for vice presidency of the United States in '56.
- He ran for Senate again in '59 and lost.
This man never quit. He kept trying till the last. In 1860, this man -- Abraham Lincoln -- was elected president of the United States.
Mackay's Moral: You must believe if you want to achieve.
by Harvey Mackay April 25, 2011
Mackay: If you believe, you are sure to succeed
When Henry Ford said those oh-so-true words, he wasn't just talking about himself - even though he was the epitome of determination. He went belly-up several times, but never lost sight of his goal. He believed in himself and in what he was doing. In the end, he was so right.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't accomplish your goals. Who says you're not tougher, better, harder-working, smarter and more able than your competition? It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it. If you believe in yourself, there's hardly anything you can't accomplish.
Most actors fail before they succeed. Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman were both voted by their acting classmates as "least likely to succeed." And how many of those classmates can boast an Academy Award? Woody Allen failed in both the motion-picture-production classes he attended in college. Lucky for him, his film audiences gave him better grades. Harrison Ford was told by movie executives that he simply didn't have what it took to be a star. Of course, he proved them wrong by starring in "Star Wars," the Indiana Jones series and a string of movies that have grossed more than $6 billion.
Some of the most successful singers in history have overcome bumpy starts as well. Diana Ross and the Supremes were flops on their first nine records, but the 10th took them to the top of the charts. After only one performance, Elvis Presley was fired in 1954 by Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, who told him, "You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck." One recording company executive told the Beatles: "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
What part of "no" didn't these people understand? The part that said "no confidence." They had every confidence that they could achieve and succeed.
Business legends are no different. We all know about inspirational success stories such as Bill Gates, Col. Harland Sanders and R.H. Macy.
As I've said so many times, if we want to triple our success ratio ... we might have to triple our failure rate.
Any time I feel like quitting, I just look at a framed poster I have hanging in our office:
- He failed in business in '31.
- He ran as a state legislator and lost in '32.
- He tried business again in '33 and failed again.
- His fiancee died in '35.
- He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
- He was defeated for Congress in '43, defeated again for Congress in '48, defeated when he ran for the Senate in '55 and defeated for vice presidency of the United States in '56.
- He ran for Senate again in '59 and lost.
This man never quit. He kept trying till the last. In 1860, this man -- Abraham Lincoln -- was elected president of the United States.
Mackay's Moral: You must believe if you want to achieve.
by Harvey Mackay April 25, 2011
Mackay: If you believe, you are sure to succeed
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Ferrari's fantastic four-wheel-drive FF flagship four-seat fastback — Autoblog
Beautiful. Fast. Expensive. There are any of a number of adjectives you could use to describe a Ferrari. Radical is one of them, too. But versatile? Hold on to your hats, because the FF is like no other Ferrari we've seen before.
The long-anticipated successor to the 612 Scaglietti takes the stage as Ferrari's flagship grand tourer. It carries four seats like its predecessor, but elongates the roofline for a shooting brake/hatchback body-style that offers plenty of cabin space and – with those rear seats folded down – as much cargo capacity as a small wagon.
It may be the first shooting brake to roll out of Maranello since the legendary 250 Breadvan, but that's not even the extent of the firsts pioneered in the new Ferrari Four. It also carries the company's long-in-the-making part-time all-wheel drive system: the innovation is called 4RM, and while technical details haven't been revealed, it is said to be only half as heavy as a conventional system, helping the front-engined shooting brake keep a 47:53 rearward weight bias. Coupled with a sub-4,000 pound curb weight (some 110 pounds less than the 612), the HELE stop-start system previewed in the California concept from the Paris show also helps keep emissions and fuel consumption down.
Of course nobody buys a Ferrari for its environmental credentials, so here's the info you've been waiting for: 0-62 in 3.7 seconds (a third quicker than the 612) and a top speed of 208 mph (about nine mph faster than the 612). Credit that bit to the all-new, direct-injection, 6.3-liter V12 and its 651 horsepower and 504 lb-ft of torque, which you can read about – together with the other technical details – in the press release after the jump. Ferrari's also launched a dedicated microsite for the new flagship, and don't forget, of course, to check out the first batch of high-resolution images of the svelte new shooting brake in the gallery below. Thanks to all for the tips!
The long-anticipated successor to the 612 Scaglietti takes the stage as Ferrari's flagship grand tourer. It carries four seats like its predecessor, but elongates the roofline for a shooting brake/hatchback body-style that offers plenty of cabin space and – with those rear seats folded down – as much cargo capacity as a small wagon.
It may be the first shooting brake to roll out of Maranello since the legendary 250 Breadvan, but that's not even the extent of the firsts pioneered in the new Ferrari Four. It also carries the company's long-in-the-making part-time all-wheel drive system: the innovation is called 4RM, and while technical details haven't been revealed, it is said to be only half as heavy as a conventional system, helping the front-engined shooting brake keep a 47:53 rearward weight bias. Coupled with a sub-4,000 pound curb weight (some 110 pounds less than the 612), the HELE stop-start system previewed in the California concept from the Paris show also helps keep emissions and fuel consumption down.
Of course nobody buys a Ferrari for its environmental credentials, so here's the info you've been waiting for: 0-62 in 3.7 seconds (a third quicker than the 612) and a top speed of 208 mph (about nine mph faster than the 612). Credit that bit to the all-new, direct-injection, 6.3-liter V12 and its 651 horsepower and 504 lb-ft of torque, which you can read about – together with the other technical details – in the press release after the jump. Ferrari's also launched a dedicated microsite for the new flagship, and don't forget, of course, to check out the first batch of high-resolution images of the svelte new shooting brake in the gallery below. Thanks to all for the tips!
by Noah Joseph Autoblog Jauary 21, 2011
Mackay: Know when you should give advice
One afternoon when American League baseball umpire Bill Guthrie was working behind the plate, the catcher of the visiting team repeatedly protested his calls. Guthrie endured this for three innings. But in the fourth inning, when the catcher started to complain again, Guthrie stopped him.
"Son," he said gently, "you've been a big help to me calling balls and strikes, and I appreciate it. But I think I've got the hang of it now. So I'm going to ask you to go to the clubhouse and show them how to take a shower."
There is a time to provide advice and offer an opinion, and there is a time not to. Don't be too quick to offer unsolicited advice. It certainly will not endear you to people. Sometimes it's better to wait for people to ask for advice or to be judicious in doling out advice.
Socrates learned this the hard way. The Greek philosopher went around giving people good advice. And they poisoned him.
Over the years I have been asked for business advice, career advice, public-speaking advice, writing advice, travel advice, fundraising advice and advice on topics I've never even heard of. Each time, I take a deep breath and hope what I have to offer will be helpful and pertinent.
As I write my weekly column, speak to a business organization or choose topics for one of my books, I try to cover subjects that affect businesspeople everywhere. Through stories, examples and morals, I offer my thoughts on how to handle a variety of issues.
I realize that people are reading what I write and figuring out whether they can apply my ideas. If my advice is helpful, I have made a friend for life.
Before you respond to a request for advice, heed Habit 5 in Stephen Covey's classic, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People": "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
When you have the strong urge to make someone understand your point of view, you should always step back and think before you speak. Why? Because you need to ask yourself what kind of situation you are commenting on. Has your opinion been requested? Do you have the experience or authority to offer help?
If you give advice, will it be appreciated - or rejected without being considered? If the other person truly is seeking help in solving a concrete problem, then advice might be appreciated. But if not, you should consider that the other person might merely be looking for someone to listen to what his problem is. In this case, advice is not usually appropriate or desired by the other party. This is a skill that is learned over time: determining the best response to another's needs.
Consider also the wisdom of Richard Saunders who said, "Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand."
And never forget, the real secret of giving advice is this: Once you've given it, don't concern yourself with whether it is followed or not, and refrain from saying "I told you so." When advice is freely given, the receiver is free to use it as he or she sees fit.
The bottom line is to be picky about to whom to give advice to and when. If you are concerned that your words may make you responsible for undesirable results beyond your control, think twice before you speak. If you know the person is asking for your insights just to be polite or politically correct, don't feel obligated but decline graciously. You might say, "I'm not sure I'm qualified to help you."
And as you are choosing your words and who will benefit from them, keep this in mind: The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others. If you wouldn't follow your own advice, you shouldn't share it.
A man went to see a doctor after feeling out-of-sorts for a month. "Have you been treated by anyone else?" asked the doc.
"No, sir," the man said, "but I did go see a pharmacist."
The doctor scolded him for seeking a layperson's advice. "What kind of idiotic advice did he give you?"
The man thought for a minute. "He told me I should come and see you."
Mackay's Moral: A person is silly who will not take anyone's advice, but a person is ignorant who takes everyone's advice.
by Harvey Mackay April 18, 2011
Mackay: Know when you should give advice
"Son," he said gently, "you've been a big help to me calling balls and strikes, and I appreciate it. But I think I've got the hang of it now. So I'm going to ask you to go to the clubhouse and show them how to take a shower."
There is a time to provide advice and offer an opinion, and there is a time not to. Don't be too quick to offer unsolicited advice. It certainly will not endear you to people. Sometimes it's better to wait for people to ask for advice or to be judicious in doling out advice.
Socrates learned this the hard way. The Greek philosopher went around giving people good advice. And they poisoned him.
Over the years I have been asked for business advice, career advice, public-speaking advice, writing advice, travel advice, fundraising advice and advice on topics I've never even heard of. Each time, I take a deep breath and hope what I have to offer will be helpful and pertinent.
As I write my weekly column, speak to a business organization or choose topics for one of my books, I try to cover subjects that affect businesspeople everywhere. Through stories, examples and morals, I offer my thoughts on how to handle a variety of issues.
I realize that people are reading what I write and figuring out whether they can apply my ideas. If my advice is helpful, I have made a friend for life.
Before you respond to a request for advice, heed Habit 5 in Stephen Covey's classic, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People": "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
When you have the strong urge to make someone understand your point of view, you should always step back and think before you speak. Why? Because you need to ask yourself what kind of situation you are commenting on. Has your opinion been requested? Do you have the experience or authority to offer help?
If you give advice, will it be appreciated - or rejected without being considered? If the other person truly is seeking help in solving a concrete problem, then advice might be appreciated. But if not, you should consider that the other person might merely be looking for someone to listen to what his problem is. In this case, advice is not usually appropriate or desired by the other party. This is a skill that is learned over time: determining the best response to another's needs.
Consider also the wisdom of Richard Saunders who said, "Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand."
And never forget, the real secret of giving advice is this: Once you've given it, don't concern yourself with whether it is followed or not, and refrain from saying "I told you so." When advice is freely given, the receiver is free to use it as he or she sees fit.
The bottom line is to be picky about to whom to give advice to and when. If you are concerned that your words may make you responsible for undesirable results beyond your control, think twice before you speak. If you know the person is asking for your insights just to be polite or politically correct, don't feel obligated but decline graciously. You might say, "I'm not sure I'm qualified to help you."
And as you are choosing your words and who will benefit from them, keep this in mind: The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others. If you wouldn't follow your own advice, you shouldn't share it.
A man went to see a doctor after feeling out-of-sorts for a month. "Have you been treated by anyone else?" asked the doc.
"No, sir," the man said, "but I did go see a pharmacist."
The doctor scolded him for seeking a layperson's advice. "What kind of idiotic advice did he give you?"
The man thought for a minute. "He told me I should come and see you."
Mackay's Moral: A person is silly who will not take anyone's advice, but a person is ignorant who takes everyone's advice.
by Harvey Mackay April 18, 2011
Mackay: Know when you should give advice
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Expo for medical pot draws crowds in Glendale
The Green Relief Medical Marijuana Convention and Expo in Glendale drew thousands of patients, caregivers and those hoping to be one of the first to open a dispensary in Arizona.
The three-day conference, which concluded Saturday, was the first of its kind in Arizona.
"There have been smaller events, but nobody has tried to address all the aspects, not just for patients and caregivers, but business owners," said Lisa Wolfe, show producer for the convention. "Everyone has a question. There's a lot of misinformation out there and this is one place to get it cleared up."
Green Relief Medical Marijuana Convention & Expo
Last November, Arizona voters approved Proposition 203, which legalized the cultivation and dispensing of marijuana for medical use. The law took effect Thursday.
Nearly 100 booths were nestled throughout the corridors of the second floor of University of Phoenix Stadium.
A mix of attendees and vendors snaked through the walkways. Bikini-clad girls lingered around a table of vaporizers, while a group in white lab coats across the way offered free samples of organic hand cream. In another area, two men in suits passed out insurance information next to a booth where the presenters were dressed as marijuana leaves.
"I'm not in the stoner world," said Herb Seidel, a chef who was there to promote his cannabis-inspired cookbooks. "I'm actually in it for the patients."
Joy Hannah, 57, nodded as she took note of some of Seidel's recipes. Hannah, who drove two hours from Gila County to attend the expo, described marijuana as "a miracle worker" when it came to her severe asthma and said she hoped the drug would one day be completely legal in Arizona.
Several vendors said it was decidedly lower-key compared with other marijuana conventions they had been to before, where blaring music and entertainment dominated the scene.
"We decided right from the beginning, we wanted it to be a more professional tone, where someone in their 50s or 60s would feel comfortable coming to it," Wolfe said.
Throughout the day, dozens of people dropped in on a series of seminars with topics including hydroponics and growing technologies and strain selection for symptom relief.
During one workshop on testing for THC content, people furiously scribbled notes on the gas chromatography process.
An early-morning workshop on dispensary security was particularly well-attended.
"We want it to be successful. We want it to be legitimate," said Rick Hanson, president and CEO of Cutty & Associates, a security company. "It's new to everybody."
Hanson said he felt security would be one of the key players in the dispensary business.
"The ones that are going to be the most successful are going to have the best security, and I don't say that because I'm in the industry," he said. "If you had two dispensaries side by side, and one had an armed security guard and one didn't, which one would you go into?"
Gina and Eric Smith of Phoenix attended the convention because they hope to be one of the 125 approved to open a medical- marijuana dispensary in Arizona. They wandered through the halls, accumulating pamphlets, business cards and stacks of papers.
"First things first, there's the legal aspect," Gina said. Then there were insurance concerns to consider - as well as payment systems, taxes, marketing and licensing issues, she said.
They agreed it's hard not to be overwhelmed.
"We knew the law had passed, but it's kind of scary entering into a new industry," said Eric, a former medical-marijuana patient from California.
He described the dispensary market there as "oversaturated" and said they saw Arizona as the next opportunity.
"This is the place and now is the time," Eric said. "And we want to make sure that, if we do make that investment, we have the information we need to make an educated decision."
by Amy B Wang The Arizona Republic Apr. 17, 2011 12:00 AM
Expo for medical pot draws crowds in Glendale
The three-day conference, which concluded Saturday, was the first of its kind in Arizona.
"There have been smaller events, but nobody has tried to address all the aspects, not just for patients and caregivers, but business owners," said Lisa Wolfe, show producer for the convention. "Everyone has a question. There's a lot of misinformation out there and this is one place to get it cleared up."
Green Relief Medical Marijuana Convention & Expo
Last November, Arizona voters approved Proposition 203, which legalized the cultivation and dispensing of marijuana for medical use. The law took effect Thursday.
Nearly 100 booths were nestled throughout the corridors of the second floor of University of Phoenix Stadium.
A mix of attendees and vendors snaked through the walkways. Bikini-clad girls lingered around a table of vaporizers, while a group in white lab coats across the way offered free samples of organic hand cream. In another area, two men in suits passed out insurance information next to a booth where the presenters were dressed as marijuana leaves.
"I'm not in the stoner world," said Herb Seidel, a chef who was there to promote his cannabis-inspired cookbooks. "I'm actually in it for the patients."
Joy Hannah, 57, nodded as she took note of some of Seidel's recipes. Hannah, who drove two hours from Gila County to attend the expo, described marijuana as "a miracle worker" when it came to her severe asthma and said she hoped the drug would one day be completely legal in Arizona.
Several vendors said it was decidedly lower-key compared with other marijuana conventions they had been to before, where blaring music and entertainment dominated the scene.
"We decided right from the beginning, we wanted it to be a more professional tone, where someone in their 50s or 60s would feel comfortable coming to it," Wolfe said.
Throughout the day, dozens of people dropped in on a series of seminars with topics including hydroponics and growing technologies and strain selection for symptom relief.
During one workshop on testing for THC content, people furiously scribbled notes on the gas chromatography process.
An early-morning workshop on dispensary security was particularly well-attended.
"We want it to be successful. We want it to be legitimate," said Rick Hanson, president and CEO of Cutty & Associates, a security company. "It's new to everybody."
Hanson said he felt security would be one of the key players in the dispensary business.
"The ones that are going to be the most successful are going to have the best security, and I don't say that because I'm in the industry," he said. "If you had two dispensaries side by side, and one had an armed security guard and one didn't, which one would you go into?"
Gina and Eric Smith of Phoenix attended the convention because they hope to be one of the 125 approved to open a medical- marijuana dispensary in Arizona. They wandered through the halls, accumulating pamphlets, business cards and stacks of papers.
"First things first, there's the legal aspect," Gina said. Then there were insurance concerns to consider - as well as payment systems, taxes, marketing and licensing issues, she said.
They agreed it's hard not to be overwhelmed.
"We knew the law had passed, but it's kind of scary entering into a new industry," said Eric, a former medical-marijuana patient from California.
He described the dispensary market there as "oversaturated" and said they saw Arizona as the next opportunity.
"This is the place and now is the time," Eric said. "And we want to make sure that, if we do make that investment, we have the information we need to make an educated decision."
by Amy B Wang The Arizona Republic Apr. 17, 2011 12:00 AM
Expo for medical pot draws crowds in Glendale
Saturday, April 16, 2011
'Investigate' opens Saturday at Level 9 Gallery
Courtesy of Lori Cowherd Lori Cowherd debuts her show, "Investigate," with cariacactures such as this one of Janet Napolitano.
Cave Creek graphic artist Lori Cowherd wanted to return to her fine-art endeavors, but time eluded her with a job and two young sons. And, then too, it was just hard to get going on anything.
"I realized I needed something to say. Some people paint beautiful landscapes or whatever, but I needed some kind of problem to solve."
The result is "Investigate," a collection of 12 satirical oil portraits that highlight the scandals and personalities of politicians and executives, including former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.
The opening reception is from 6 to 9 tonight at Level 9 Gallery, 6047 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek. The exhibit runs through May 15.
Details: www.level9gallery.com or 480-329-6118.
FAMOUS NAMES
Failed financier Bernie Madoff launched the project for Cowherd as her artist's eye saw him in prison stripes and a monogrammed ball and chain. That led to researching other scandals and more caricature depictions, including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Napolitano's less-than-flattering body being pawed by airport security blue gloves.
"I just dove into this circle of names and thought we are so manipulated in what we're told and how it's presented and what the agenda behind it is," she said.
AN ARTIST'S PROCESS
Cowherd, who holds a master of arts from California State University, said the idea to do caricatures came out of nowhere. "I don't know why. Is it some kind of subconscious thing because they're acting like children? But it's kind of amusing and it puts them in a light that wasn't so grand," she said.
by Sonja Haller The Arizona Republic Apr. 15, 2011 04:25 PM
'Investigate' opens Saturday at Level 9 Gallery
Arizona's medical-marijuana law takes effect
Arizona's medical-marijuana law takes effect today, but patients already have been lining up to pay hundreds of dollars in some cases for pot recommendations from clinics that opened in recent weeks for just that purpose.
Health officials are concerned that so-called certification mills could quickly turn a medical program into a recreational one, but they have limited recourse.
Starting today, people can apply with the state Department of Health Services for permission to use marijuana to treat debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer's disease.
The online-only application requires a photo of the patient, a copy of his or her driver's license, a signed statement promising not to give the marijuana to anyone and certification from a physician that the patient would benefit from using pot.
State rules finalized last month by DHS require a health professional licensed by one of four Arizona boards - allopathic, osteopathic, naturopathic or homeopathic - to conduct a physical exam, review one year of medical records, confirm a debilitating diagnosis and check the patient's other prescriptions through an online database.
While much of the attention in the marijuana debate has focused on dispensaries, which won't go online until later this year, a small industry has sprouted to help patients qualify.
DHS Director Will Humble said the rules were written to regulate the industry as tightly as possible without running afoul of the law voters passed in November as Proposition 203. But he said it will only take a handful of physicians writing casual recommendations to explode the program.
"What I'm afraid of is there will be enough of them that just check the boxes but don't really do it (a thorough exam). Or do a cursory drive-by . . . collect the money and move on to the next patient," Humble said.
"I'm concerned that enough of them will end up turning this into a program that we didn't intend for it to become."
Humble said the health department will work with the Arizona Medical Board and other licensing boards to check up on doctors who appear to be issuing medical-marijuana recommendations outside the law. Red flags might be similar demographics or medical conditions, he said.
The first draft of rules required physicians to have a one-year relationship with a patient, but now a doctor could recommend pot to someone the same day they meet.
"What appears to be happening already is you've got a small group of doctors who are doing exclusive medical-marijuana recommendations to patients who are new to them," said Lisa Wynn, executive director of the Arizona Medical Board. "They're arriving at the answer before they've even met the patient."
Sue Sisley, a Scottsdale internist in private practice, supported Proposition 203 but believes many doctors will opt out of the recommendation business for fear of jeopardizing their practices.
"I know tons of docs who won't come near this program," said Sisley, whose practice doesn't include anyone who would qualify. "That's what lends itself to these certification mills. That's what we were hoping to avoid by the rule-making."
Jay Reis, director of Arizona Medical Marijuana Certification Centers, runs three clinics in Scottsdale, Tucson and Cottonwood and is the process of opening three more. The centers charge $150 for a same-day certification but require three years of patient records, though the law only requires one.
Reis said he launched the business in January because he believes medical marijuana can bring relief to suffering patients. He said he's offended by mobile-certification outfits set up in hotel rooms or trailers by newcomers to Arizona, who give clinics like his a bad name.
"They're coming in here, putting doctors in a hotel room and not even giving you a physical," he said. "They're just here for the money."
Humble said he doesn't care where the exams are done, only that all the requirements are complied with.
"I don't care whether the assessment happens in the park," Humble said. "The question is, is the physician acting in the best interest of the patient?"
The DHS will have 15 working days to process the applications and has hired 10 temporary workers in hopes of avoiding a backlog.
Humble said the agency can handle up to 500 applications a day. Patients whose certifications aren't processed within the timeframe will have the $150 health-department fee waived.
Since there are not yet any licensed dispensaries in Arizona, patients who receive medical-marijuana ID cards also will have authorization to grow their own pot.
Patients can cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants. The plants must be grown indoors in a locked room or outdoors surrounded by a concrete wall and a locked steel gate.
by Mary K. Reinhart The Arizona Republic Apr. 14, 2011 12:00 AM
Arizona's medical-marijuana law takes effect
Health officials are concerned that so-called certification mills could quickly turn a medical program into a recreational one, but they have limited recourse.
Starting today, people can apply with the state Department of Health Services for permission to use marijuana to treat debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer's disease.
The online-only application requires a photo of the patient, a copy of his or her driver's license, a signed statement promising not to give the marijuana to anyone and certification from a physician that the patient would benefit from using pot.
State rules finalized last month by DHS require a health professional licensed by one of four Arizona boards - allopathic, osteopathic, naturopathic or homeopathic - to conduct a physical exam, review one year of medical records, confirm a debilitating diagnosis and check the patient's other prescriptions through an online database.
While much of the attention in the marijuana debate has focused on dispensaries, which won't go online until later this year, a small industry has sprouted to help patients qualify.
DHS Director Will Humble said the rules were written to regulate the industry as tightly as possible without running afoul of the law voters passed in November as Proposition 203. But he said it will only take a handful of physicians writing casual recommendations to explode the program.
"What I'm afraid of is there will be enough of them that just check the boxes but don't really do it (a thorough exam). Or do a cursory drive-by . . . collect the money and move on to the next patient," Humble said.
"I'm concerned that enough of them will end up turning this into a program that we didn't intend for it to become."
Humble said the health department will work with the Arizona Medical Board and other licensing boards to check up on doctors who appear to be issuing medical-marijuana recommendations outside the law. Red flags might be similar demographics or medical conditions, he said.
The first draft of rules required physicians to have a one-year relationship with a patient, but now a doctor could recommend pot to someone the same day they meet.
"What appears to be happening already is you've got a small group of doctors who are doing exclusive medical-marijuana recommendations to patients who are new to them," said Lisa Wynn, executive director of the Arizona Medical Board. "They're arriving at the answer before they've even met the patient."
Sue Sisley, a Scottsdale internist in private practice, supported Proposition 203 but believes many doctors will opt out of the recommendation business for fear of jeopardizing their practices.
"I know tons of docs who won't come near this program," said Sisley, whose practice doesn't include anyone who would qualify. "That's what lends itself to these certification mills. That's what we were hoping to avoid by the rule-making."
Jay Reis, director of Arizona Medical Marijuana Certification Centers, runs three clinics in Scottsdale, Tucson and Cottonwood and is the process of opening three more. The centers charge $150 for a same-day certification but require three years of patient records, though the law only requires one.
Reis said he launched the business in January because he believes medical marijuana can bring relief to suffering patients. He said he's offended by mobile-certification outfits set up in hotel rooms or trailers by newcomers to Arizona, who give clinics like his a bad name.
"They're coming in here, putting doctors in a hotel room and not even giving you a physical," he said. "They're just here for the money."
Humble said he doesn't care where the exams are done, only that all the requirements are complied with.
"I don't care whether the assessment happens in the park," Humble said. "The question is, is the physician acting in the best interest of the patient?"
The DHS will have 15 working days to process the applications and has hired 10 temporary workers in hopes of avoiding a backlog.
Humble said the agency can handle up to 500 applications a day. Patients whose certifications aren't processed within the timeframe will have the $150 health-department fee waived.
Since there are not yet any licensed dispensaries in Arizona, patients who receive medical-marijuana ID cards also will have authorization to grow their own pot.
Patients can cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants. The plants must be grown indoors in a locked room or outdoors surrounded by a concrete wall and a locked steel gate.
by Mary K. Reinhart The Arizona Republic Apr. 14, 2011 12:00 AM
Arizona's medical-marijuana law takes effect
Arizona medical-marijuana dispensaries face property hurdles
Medical-marijuana-dispensary applicants are having trouble securing lease agreements for suitable dispensary sites, Phoenix-area commercial-real-estate brokers and observers say.
The challenge is twofold, they say: State-imposed restrictions limit the locations and types of real estate in which a dispensary can operate, and many commercial-property owners don't want marijuana-dispensary tenants.
Metro Phoenix commercial-realty brokers declined to discuss whether they represented any companies seeking a license to cultivate and dispense marijuana for medical purposes.
Still, a number of brokers said they have observed prospective medical-marijuana tenants having trouble finding suitable sites to grow and sell.
Phoenix broker Scott Ellsworth of NAI Horizon said one reason property owners might not want a marijuana dispensary or cultivation tenant is the legally shaky status of medical-marijuana laws.
Proposition 203, which Arizona voters passed in November, makes marijuana legal under state law for specific medical uses and with certain restrictions. But it does not change the federal law against marijuana use. Therefore, it's possible that a medical-marijuana tenant might not be around long enough to make it worth a landlord's time and trouble.
"Who's to say that in a year their license won't be taken away?" Ellsworth said.
Accepting a dispensary or cultivation site could anger or upset other tenants, discourage future tenants from moving in and put the property owner in a bad light, said Robin Vitols, a publicity expert whose clients include local real-estate firms. "I really think it's an image issue," Vitols said. "In the business world . . . you're measured by the company you keep."
Many cancer patients and others with severe chronic pain have said that marijuana has the unique ability to control pain without causing nausea, as other pain medications do.
Vitols pointed out that if dispensary owners can't find sites in safe, accessible areas, the elderly and sick patients with marijuana prescriptions could be forced to travel long distances or negotiate dangerous neighborhoods to receive the treatments a majority of Arizona voters believe they are entitled to have.
Valley Partnership, a local economic-development organization focused on real estate, has scheduled a two-hour forum April 29 to examine the real-estate challenges faced by aspiring dispensary owners.
Scheduled participants include Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services; Rose Law Group attorney Jordan Rose; and Phoenix Planning Director Debra Stark.
Under the new law, qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions can receive up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants if they live 25 miles or more from a dispensary. There will be 120 to 126 dispensaries throughout the state, proportionate to the number of pharmacies.
Dispensary agents will be required to first apply for a registration certificate, which would include a background check and basic information such as location. The agent then will apply for an operating license, which requires more details, such as a site plan and a certificate of occupancy.
Applicants must include a business plan that shows projected expenditures before and after opening the dispensary and its projected revenue.
There will be one dispensary in each of the 126 Community Health Analysis Areas, a geographical breakdown of the state that the ADHS used to track public-health statistics.
The application process for aspiring dispensary operators begins June 1, and the ADHS said it will select licensees by Aug. 1.
by J. Craig Anderson The Arizona Republic Apr. 13, 2011 12:00 AM
Arizona medical-marijuana dispensaries face property hurdles
The challenge is twofold, they say: State-imposed restrictions limit the locations and types of real estate in which a dispensary can operate, and many commercial-property owners don't want marijuana-dispensary tenants.
Metro Phoenix commercial-realty brokers declined to discuss whether they represented any companies seeking a license to cultivate and dispense marijuana for medical purposes.
Still, a number of brokers said they have observed prospective medical-marijuana tenants having trouble finding suitable sites to grow and sell.
Phoenix broker Scott Ellsworth of NAI Horizon said one reason property owners might not want a marijuana dispensary or cultivation tenant is the legally shaky status of medical-marijuana laws.
Proposition 203, which Arizona voters passed in November, makes marijuana legal under state law for specific medical uses and with certain restrictions. But it does not change the federal law against marijuana use. Therefore, it's possible that a medical-marijuana tenant might not be around long enough to make it worth a landlord's time and trouble.
"Who's to say that in a year their license won't be taken away?" Ellsworth said.
Accepting a dispensary or cultivation site could anger or upset other tenants, discourage future tenants from moving in and put the property owner in a bad light, said Robin Vitols, a publicity expert whose clients include local real-estate firms. "I really think it's an image issue," Vitols said. "In the business world . . . you're measured by the company you keep."
Many cancer patients and others with severe chronic pain have said that marijuana has the unique ability to control pain without causing nausea, as other pain medications do.
Vitols pointed out that if dispensary owners can't find sites in safe, accessible areas, the elderly and sick patients with marijuana prescriptions could be forced to travel long distances or negotiate dangerous neighborhoods to receive the treatments a majority of Arizona voters believe they are entitled to have.
Valley Partnership, a local economic-development organization focused on real estate, has scheduled a two-hour forum April 29 to examine the real-estate challenges faced by aspiring dispensary owners.
Scheduled participants include Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services; Rose Law Group attorney Jordan Rose; and Phoenix Planning Director Debra Stark.
Under the new law, qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions can receive up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants if they live 25 miles or more from a dispensary. There will be 120 to 126 dispensaries throughout the state, proportionate to the number of pharmacies.
Dispensary agents will be required to first apply for a registration certificate, which would include a background check and basic information such as location. The agent then will apply for an operating license, which requires more details, such as a site plan and a certificate of occupancy.
Applicants must include a business plan that shows projected expenditures before and after opening the dispensary and its projected revenue.
There will be one dispensary in each of the 126 Community Health Analysis Areas, a geographical breakdown of the state that the ADHS used to track public-health statistics.
The application process for aspiring dispensary operators begins June 1, and the ADHS said it will select licensees by Aug. 1.
by J. Craig Anderson The Arizona Republic Apr. 13, 2011 12:00 AM
Arizona medical-marijuana dispensaries face property hurdles
Mackay: Discipline is 1st step to success
Most people aim to do right; they just fail to pull the trigger. For whatever reason, they just don't have the wherewithal to finish the job. They are lacking discipline.
"Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure," said the late motivational speaker Jim Rohn.
It doesn't matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts or life in general. Hope is not an option. The difference between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.
Bob Knight, college basketball's winningest coach, said, "It has always been my thought that the most important single ingredient to success in athletics or life is discipline. I have many times felt that this word is the most ill-defined in all of our language. My definition of the word is as follows: Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and do it that way all the time."
Julie Andrews put it a little differently. She said, "Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly."
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a fantastic pianist, said, "If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days of practice, the critics notice it. If I miss three days of practice, the audience notices."
Discipline is all about sitting down and setting goals, figuring out a schedule to achieve those goals, and then following your plan.
The formula is the same for athletes, businesspeople and students: have a no-nonsense attitude, work hard and improve every day. Arrive early and stay late if that's what it takes to get the job done. I always say to go the extra mile, which is one stretch of the highway where there are seldom any traffic jams. And few people are trying to pass you.
It's the adage: The more you put in the more you get out.
"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good," said Jerry West, the former Los Angeles Lakers great who was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch."
Good intentions aren't enough. People have good intentions when they set a goal to do something, but then they miss a deadline or a workout. Suddenly, it gets a lot easier to miss again and again and again.
Golfing great Byron Nelson said, "The only way one can become proficient at anything is self-discipline and dedication. The people who succeed are the ones that really do not let personal feelings get in their way from giving their all in whatever they choose to do. The superstar golfers are people who are willing to do and give a little bit more than the others who do not succeed."
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi maintained, "A player's got to know the basics of the game and how to play his position. Next, you've got to keep him in line."
That's discipline, and what every good manager must have. It's not enough as a manager to teach your employees how to do the work. You also have to provide the motivation that keeps them moving forward. Perhaps most importantly, a good manager must model self-discipline.
To me, it is better to prepare and prevent instead of repair and repent.
I like the way Jim Rohn described discipline: "It is the bridge between thought and accomplishment ... the glue that binds inspiration to achievement ... the magic that turns financial necessity into the creation of an inspired work of art.
"Discipline is the master key that unlocks the door to wealth and happiness, culture and sophistication, high self-esteem and high accomplishment and the accompanying feelings of pride, satisfaction and success. Discipline will do much for you. More importantly, though, is what it will do to you. It will make you feel terrific about yourself."
Mackay's Moral: If your willpower doesn't work, try your "won't" power.
by Harvey Mackay April 11, 2011
Mackay: Discipline is 1st step to success
"Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure," said the late motivational speaker Jim Rohn.
It doesn't matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts or life in general. Hope is not an option. The difference between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.
Bob Knight, college basketball's winningest coach, said, "It has always been my thought that the most important single ingredient to success in athletics or life is discipline. I have many times felt that this word is the most ill-defined in all of our language. My definition of the word is as follows: Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and do it that way all the time."
Julie Andrews put it a little differently. She said, "Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly."
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a fantastic pianist, said, "If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days of practice, the critics notice it. If I miss three days of practice, the audience notices."
Discipline is all about sitting down and setting goals, figuring out a schedule to achieve those goals, and then following your plan.
The formula is the same for athletes, businesspeople and students: have a no-nonsense attitude, work hard and improve every day. Arrive early and stay late if that's what it takes to get the job done. I always say to go the extra mile, which is one stretch of the highway where there are seldom any traffic jams. And few people are trying to pass you.
It's the adage: The more you put in the more you get out.
"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good," said Jerry West, the former Los Angeles Lakers great who was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch."
Good intentions aren't enough. People have good intentions when they set a goal to do something, but then they miss a deadline or a workout. Suddenly, it gets a lot easier to miss again and again and again.
Golfing great Byron Nelson said, "The only way one can become proficient at anything is self-discipline and dedication. The people who succeed are the ones that really do not let personal feelings get in their way from giving their all in whatever they choose to do. The superstar golfers are people who are willing to do and give a little bit more than the others who do not succeed."
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi maintained, "A player's got to know the basics of the game and how to play his position. Next, you've got to keep him in line."
That's discipline, and what every good manager must have. It's not enough as a manager to teach your employees how to do the work. You also have to provide the motivation that keeps them moving forward. Perhaps most importantly, a good manager must model self-discipline.
To me, it is better to prepare and prevent instead of repair and repent.
I like the way Jim Rohn described discipline: "It is the bridge between thought and accomplishment ... the glue that binds inspiration to achievement ... the magic that turns financial necessity into the creation of an inspired work of art.
"Discipline is the master key that unlocks the door to wealth and happiness, culture and sophistication, high self-esteem and high accomplishment and the accompanying feelings of pride, satisfaction and success. Discipline will do much for you. More importantly, though, is what it will do to you. It will make you feel terrific about yourself."
Mackay's Moral: If your willpower doesn't work, try your "won't" power.
by Harvey Mackay April 11, 2011
Mackay: Discipline is 1st step to success
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Medical marijuana: An unexpected fight
Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic Ahwatukee herbalist Gayle Palms talks about the benefits of the chaparral plant, one of many herbs she stocks at the Phoenix Holistic Health Center.
Gayle Palms says she has a team of legal and medical experts, a business plan and the $150,000 Arizona requires to open a medical-marijuana dispensary.
Gayle Palms says she has a team of legal and medical experts, a business plan and the $150,000 Arizona requires to open a medical-marijuana dispensary.
She knew it would be a challenge to win one of about 125 certificates for a facility that the state is expected to issue this year. But what Palms didn't expect were challenges from her own community - and the absence of a local landlord willing to rent to her.
The Ahwatukee Foothills resident wants to move a wellness center she already owns in the community where she has lived for three years to a nearby shopping center with zoning that would allow her to also run a medical-marijuana dispensary.
She envisions a new center where patients with a variety of ailments can be treated with herbs, acupuncture, massage and - for those with the proper doctor's referral and state ID - marijuana in liquid or aerosol forms.
But as Palms puts the final touches on her application for a dispensary certificate, she finds her plans already being challenged by a lack of community consensus on where medical marijuana should be sold. On Thursday, the state starts taking applications from cancer patients and others who want to use the drug to reduce pain, nausea and conditions like muscle spasms.
Many potential dispensary owners are in the early stages of getting their business plans and certificate applications together. But some who are further along in the process have been surprised by the chilly reception they are getting from neighborhoods and landlords.
"It's a challenge, frankly, to find a receptive landlord," said Joe Yuhas, co-founder of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, a trade group for the Arizona medical-marijuana industry. "It's a new industry, and folks don't understand it."
Last month, golf-equipment manufacturer Ping threatened to leave a north Phoenix community it has occupied for 45 years because of a medical-marijuana dispensary that was approved nearby.
In Flagstaff, former art gallery owner David Grandon is part of a team of local professionals that wants to open a dispensary called the Grass Roots Wellness Center in a shopping center in the northern Arizona city. But they are struggling to find a landlord and a bank that will do business with them.
"Flagstaff is a small town, and we want this done right," Grandon said. "We are not trying to get the foot in the door to legalize marijuana. But what we are finding is landlords and banks have already been approached multiple times by people who are speaking wellness center but have Bob Marley playing in the background."
Other potential dispensary applicants in Phoenix suburbs acknowledged they are also facing leasing and business challenges, but declined to talk.
"Right now it's a very sensitive issue," one said.
An Ahwatukee resident, commercial real-estate broker and Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee member Max Masel says he has have no problem with a dispensary in a shopping center.
"I'd like to see a dispensary in Ahwatukee - we have 70,000 people here," Masel said. "I think shopping centers are the logical place for medical-marijuana dispensaries. Where else are they going to go?"
But other influential residents don't want medical marijuana anywhere nearby.
Doug Cole, a political consultant and chairman of the village planning committee, said medical marijuana belongs in industrial areas.
"I just don't want to see one at Elliot Road and 48th Street," he said. "Medical marijuana is legal, but right now no one knows what the outcome of all of this will be."
Palms, who worked as a loan officer at a bank before studying herbal medicine and opening a wellness clinic in Seattle a decade ago, says her conservative, business-oriented background should be evidence to Ahwatukee that the medical-marijuana dispensary she wants to open would be a health center, not a head shop.
"We want to educate people on the medical use of marijuana," Palms said. "We don't want people to use it recreationally."
She has owned and run the Phoenix Holistic Health Center at 4747 E. Elliot Road in Ahwatukee for two years, yet she can't get an appointment with a leasing agent.
"Landlords just hang up the phone on me," Palms said.
Alan Zell, owner of Zell Commercial Real Estate Services, which represents both tenants and landlords in a number of Ahwatukee shopping centers, was not surprised by that.
He said he doesn't think the Phoenix village is the right place for medical marijuana. "It's not the right image we want to present as a company," he said.
Zell said potential dispensary owners should look for locations in shopping centers that might have vacancies because they are somewhat run down, in less than prime locations or that lack major anchor tenants. "There just aren't that many of those in Ahwatukee," he said.
Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who represents Ahwatukee Foothills, predicts the community will eventually have one dispensary - but stopped short of predicting where it will be. Ahwatukee only has a handful of shopping centers that have the C-2 or higher level of zoning that Phoenix requires for dispensaries. Most of those centers are along Interstate 10 between Ray Road and Chandler Boulevard.
The Arizona Medical Marijuana Association is in the early stages of pulling together a team of bankers, credit-card processors, security companies and human-resources providers willing to work with dispensary owners.
Yuhas and Vanessa Ryan, another member of Ahwatukee's village planning committee, said if dispensaries can't get their businesses up and running, neighborhoods might see residents growing their own marijuana plants.
Arizona law allows people who need medical marijuana to grow it in a secure area if there is not a dispensary within 25 mles of the patient's home. It's a concern in 36-square-mile Ahwatukee which is still a part of Phoenix but is surrounded on three sides by open Gila River Indian Community land and the South Mountain Preserve.
Tribe officials will not allow a dispensary on the reservation for various reasons and have asked neighboring municipalities not to allow dispensaries within one mile of their border with the Gila River Reservation.
Ryan said she supports an Ahwatukee dispensary because she doesn't like the idea of marijuana growing outdoors, no matter how secure the backyard facility might be.
by Cathryn Creno The Arizona Republic Apr. 10, 2011 12:00 AM
Medical marijuana: An unexpected fight
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Mackay: This spring, freshen up your firm
Spring-cleaning is not just for your home or garden. Do yourself a favor and spruce up your office, your calendar, your brain - anything that will improve your productivity and your outlook.
If you are one of those people whose office looks like a disaster area but maintain that you can find anything whenever you need it, you'll probably dismiss my advice. If you are that good, you don't need it.
Just like we layer on winter clothing, we seem to add winter layers to our office messes. But after the brutal winter that much of the country has endured, welcome signs of spring are emerging. If you really want your spring-cleaning to be effective, you need to follow the lead of new seedlings poking through the soil and make room for fresh thinking and creative ideas.
- Sweep up the dust. Spring is a great time to organize your thoughts and reassess your priorities. Examine your goals and chart your progress. Things not moving along the way you'd like? Stuck on an idea that just won't work? Erase the slate. Solicit opinions from trusted advisers and co-workers.
- Wash the windows. What's clouding your perspective? If you are sizing up your workload with a jaded attitude, you might as well be in a dungeon. Lighten up! Just as there are boring or difficult tasks in every project, there are redeeming features. Look for them and see if your outlook doesn't get brighter.
- Clear out the cobwebs. Don't let distractions such as junk e-mails or unnecessary meetings overwhelm your schedule. Set some ground rules for when you will be available for non-emergency matters and stick to them.
- Scrub till it sparkles. Your workplace needs to be welcoming for customers, whether it's your showroom, a doctor's office or an auto-repair shop. Functional is not enough, and new is not necessary. Clean and tidy leave the impression that you pay attention to details.
- Pull the weeds. Cut the clutter and free up space for current projects. Your computer hard drive, bookcases and filing cabinets are great places to start. Is your filing system as efficient as it needs to be? Are you a candidate for the office version of "Hoarders"? Dedicate an hour a day to culling through the piles of paper that just keep growing. Keep at it until you are caught up. Don't forget to recycle!
- Put things away. Keeping stuff just for the sake of storing it gets out of control before you realize it. If your space is starting to resemble a souvenir shop instead of an office, you need to get serious. Practice this mantra: A place for everything and everything in its place.
- Touch up the paint. Is your branding up to date? Your website current? Call your company and listen to the phone message. Would it entice you to call again or make you hang up in frustration? Your image should keep up with your newest products and developments, especially your social media and new technology applications.
- Plant some seeds. Have some ideas for new projects, new customers or new procedures? Introduce them now. Start a "spring ahead" campaign to go along with the season. Encourage your staff and co-workers to join the effort by submitting ideas of their own.
- Change the batteries. We're reminded to change the batteries in our smoke detectors when we turn the clocks forward. If your personal battery needs to be recharged, take a break and enjoy a change of scenery. Spend some time doing something just for fun. Don't get stuck in the rut of all work and no play.
- Open the windows and breathe in the fresh air! Harness your optimism and watch you and your company blossom!
Mackay's Moral: Heavy lifting is not necessary to lighten your outlook.
by Harvey Mackay April 4, 2011
Mackay: This spring, freshen up your firm
If you are one of those people whose office looks like a disaster area but maintain that you can find anything whenever you need it, you'll probably dismiss my advice. If you are that good, you don't need it.
Just like we layer on winter clothing, we seem to add winter layers to our office messes. But after the brutal winter that much of the country has endured, welcome signs of spring are emerging. If you really want your spring-cleaning to be effective, you need to follow the lead of new seedlings poking through the soil and make room for fresh thinking and creative ideas.
- Sweep up the dust. Spring is a great time to organize your thoughts and reassess your priorities. Examine your goals and chart your progress. Things not moving along the way you'd like? Stuck on an idea that just won't work? Erase the slate. Solicit opinions from trusted advisers and co-workers.
- Wash the windows. What's clouding your perspective? If you are sizing up your workload with a jaded attitude, you might as well be in a dungeon. Lighten up! Just as there are boring or difficult tasks in every project, there are redeeming features. Look for them and see if your outlook doesn't get brighter.
- Clear out the cobwebs. Don't let distractions such as junk e-mails or unnecessary meetings overwhelm your schedule. Set some ground rules for when you will be available for non-emergency matters and stick to them.
- Scrub till it sparkles. Your workplace needs to be welcoming for customers, whether it's your showroom, a doctor's office or an auto-repair shop. Functional is not enough, and new is not necessary. Clean and tidy leave the impression that you pay attention to details.
- Pull the weeds. Cut the clutter and free up space for current projects. Your computer hard drive, bookcases and filing cabinets are great places to start. Is your filing system as efficient as it needs to be? Are you a candidate for the office version of "Hoarders"? Dedicate an hour a day to culling through the piles of paper that just keep growing. Keep at it until you are caught up. Don't forget to recycle!
- Put things away. Keeping stuff just for the sake of storing it gets out of control before you realize it. If your space is starting to resemble a souvenir shop instead of an office, you need to get serious. Practice this mantra: A place for everything and everything in its place.
- Touch up the paint. Is your branding up to date? Your website current? Call your company and listen to the phone message. Would it entice you to call again or make you hang up in frustration? Your image should keep up with your newest products and developments, especially your social media and new technology applications.
- Plant some seeds. Have some ideas for new projects, new customers or new procedures? Introduce them now. Start a "spring ahead" campaign to go along with the season. Encourage your staff and co-workers to join the effort by submitting ideas of their own.
- Change the batteries. We're reminded to change the batteries in our smoke detectors when we turn the clocks forward. If your personal battery needs to be recharged, take a break and enjoy a change of scenery. Spend some time doing something just for fun. Don't get stuck in the rut of all work and no play.
- Open the windows and breathe in the fresh air! Harness your optimism and watch you and your company blossom!
Mackay's Moral: Heavy lifting is not necessary to lighten your outlook.
by Harvey Mackay April 4, 2011
Mackay: This spring, freshen up your firm
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I Am Iman by Iman - IMAN COSMETICS
I AM IMAN
I Am Iman (Rizzoli 2000) is an autobiographical sketchbook of her career that questions the unserious business of fashion and beauty and its serious effect on identity.
Book Description
Iman’s emergence in 1975 sparked an upheavel in cultural identity that continues today, and her first book is a gloriously entertaining hybrid essay on the cultural-cum-political power of good looks.
A quarter century of the most famous photographs by Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Scavullo, David Bailey, Nick Knight, and many others are contextualized by well-known essayists, a chorus of celebrity contributions, and Iman’s own take on her much-mytholigized career. The book’s outrageous pop design - by graphic designers Barnbrook Studios - makes it plain that this is not just one woman’s success story. I Am Iman captures the funny, infuriating, and often absurd validation of black and ethnic looks in a beauty industry where billions of dollars - and the self-image of women everywhere - are on the line.
Peeks behind the curtain and scintillating interviews are courtesy of feminist critic bell hooks, Interview editor Ingrid Sischy, model and manager Bathann Hardison, and such celebrities as Cindy Crawford, Yves St. Laurent, Naomi Campbell, Bruce Weber, Tyra Banks, and many more. With graphid design featuring gatefolds, diecuts, and other interactive elements, as well as specially commissioned, never-before-seen images by Annie Leibowitz, Ellen Von Unwerth, Sante D’Orazio, and Michel Comte, this book is an assmblage worthy of any fashionista’s dream.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword: David Bowie
Contributions by: Peter Beard, Sandra Bernhard, Bell Hooks, Bethann Hardison, Fran Lebowitz, Isaac Mizrahi, Isabella Rossellini and Ingrid Sichy.
1. AFRICA, MY AFRICA by Iman- 2. ESCAPE TO KENYA by Iman
- - The Darkness That May Be Felt by Peter Beard
- - The Story of I by Isaac Mizeahi
- - And Now The Real Story by Sandra Bernhard
- 3. EXILE ON MAIN STREET by Iman
- - Knowing Her Glory by bell hooks
- - Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya by Bethann Hardison
- 4. THE CIRCUS COME TO TOWN by Iman
- - A little Less Democracy... Fran Lebowitz interviewed by David Bowie
- 5. THE NEW GIRL NEXT DOOR by Iman
- - The Politics of Beauty by Isabella Rossellini
- 6. THE AFRICAN AND THE ALIEN by Iman
- 7. PHOTO GALLERY
“I met and fell in love with Iman in Los Angeles on October the fourteenth, nineteenth ninety. Moments after we started dating, the press broke “the story” of our relationship. This opened up a strange spin for us both and particularly for me personally.”
- David Bowie
Q&A: Arizona medical marijuana rules
There have been rumors surrounding Arizona's medical-marijuana law since voters passed it in November. But now that the state health department has finalized its rules, Arizonans can weed out the truth.
The Arizona Department of Health Services on Monday released its final rules, giving an idea of what the program will look like. Proposition 203 will allow qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions to receive up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants if they live 25 miles or farther from a dispensary. There will be up to126 dispensaries throughout the state.
Arizona's medical-marijuana program officially begins April 14, when the department will begin accepting patient applications. Prospective dispensary owners can apply in June.
The program should be fully functioning by the end of the year. ADHS officials estimate that by November, there will be between 70 and 90 dispensaries operating.
Arizona is the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana. But the state's medical-marijuana law and the state health department's rules are unlike those in any other state.
Here are basics to know about Arizona's medical-pot program.
Question: How do I apply for a medical-marijuana card, and where do I get marijuana?
Answer: There will not be any dispensaries operating when the first qualifying patients get their medical-marijuana identification cards, which means patients will be able to grow their own. When dispensaries are up and running, patients or their caregivers can purchase marijuana at any dispensary.
Patients must submit their applications electronically, along with the state health department's physician-certification form. Patients can request approval to grow marijuana in their applications. If the patient's application is complete and meets all ADHS requirements, the agency will issue a card within 15 working days.
Q.: Where do I get seeds to grow my own marijuana, and what are the rules for home-growing?
A.: A dispensary can obtain its stock from other dispensaries or registered patients or their caregivers. ADHS officials said this also applies to home-growers. As for those who want to grow their own marijuana, there are no state or ADHS rules specifying the origin of the original seeds. There are no provisions in Prop. 203 specifically outlined for home-growers, but regulations still apply. Marijuana must be cultivated in an "enclosed, locked facility," which ADHS defines as an "outdoor space surrounded by solid, 10-foot walls, constructed of metal, concrete or stone, that prevent any viewing of the marijuana plants, with a one-inch thick metal gate." The marijuana must be grown in Arizona. Prop. 203 limits patients to 12 marijuana plants per patient, and a caregiver can assist up to five patients, or cultivate up to 60 plants.
Q.: Who will qualify to receive marijuana?
A.: Qualifying patients must have at least one of the following debilitating medical conditions: cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Lou Gehrig's disease, Crohn's disease or Alzheimer's disease.
They also could qualify if they have one of the following symptoms as a result of a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition, or its treatment: wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures or muscle spasms.
The public can petition to add a disease through the state health department.
Q.: Who can recommend marijuana?
A.: Prop. 203 defines "physician" as doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, naturopathic physician or homeopathic physician.
Doctors must sign the ADHS physician-certification form. They must attest that they have conducted an in-person physical examination; reviewed the patient's medical records, reviewed the patient's profile on the state controlled-substances monitoring database and reviewed the patient's responses to conventional medications and therapies; agree to maintain the patient's medical record; and believes that the patient is likely to receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from using marijuana to treat or alleviate their debilitating medical condition.
There must be a medical director on-call or on-site at each dispensary, but they will not be able to recommend marijuana. Their job is to make sure patients or their caregivers document changes in their symptoms and track their marijuana use, and dispensaries must provide educational materials, such as how to administer marijuana safely, signs of substance abuse or dependency, and possible side effects.
Q.: How do I open a dispensary?
A.: There will be between 120 and 126 dispensaries, proportionate to the number of pharmacies in the state. There will be one dispensary in each Community Health Analysis Area, a geographical breakdown of the state that ADHS previously used to track public-health statistics.
There will be a two-step dispensary application process. Dispensary agents will first apply for a registration certificate, which includes a background check and a business plan. Then they will apply for an operating license, which requires more detailed plans, such as a site plan and a certificate of occupancy.
Dispensary agents can apply online. If there is one qualified applicant for one health area, the department will approve the dispensary. But if there is more than one qualified application for the same health area, prospective dispensaries will be ranked against a set of standards that ADHS has established in its rules. If all applicants rank the same, the department will choose dispensaries randomly.
Dispensaries must get their locations cleared through local jurisdictions before they submit their applications. They are prohibited from locating within 500 feet of schools.
For more information, and the state health department's rules, go to azdhs.gov/prop203.For more questions and answers, go to politics.azcentral.com.
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee The Arizona Republic Mar. 30, 2011 06:40 PM
Q&A: Arizona medical marijuana rules
The Arizona Department of Health Services on Monday released its final rules, giving an idea of what the program will look like. Proposition 203 will allow qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions to receive up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants if they live 25 miles or farther from a dispensary. There will be up to126 dispensaries throughout the state.
Arizona's medical-marijuana program officially begins April 14, when the department will begin accepting patient applications. Prospective dispensary owners can apply in June.
The program should be fully functioning by the end of the year. ADHS officials estimate that by November, there will be between 70 and 90 dispensaries operating.
Arizona is the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana. But the state's medical-marijuana law and the state health department's rules are unlike those in any other state.
Here are basics to know about Arizona's medical-pot program.
Question: How do I apply for a medical-marijuana card, and where do I get marijuana?
Answer: There will not be any dispensaries operating when the first qualifying patients get their medical-marijuana identification cards, which means patients will be able to grow their own. When dispensaries are up and running, patients or their caregivers can purchase marijuana at any dispensary.
Patients must submit their applications electronically, along with the state health department's physician-certification form. Patients can request approval to grow marijuana in their applications. If the patient's application is complete and meets all ADHS requirements, the agency will issue a card within 15 working days.
Q.: Where do I get seeds to grow my own marijuana, and what are the rules for home-growing?
A.: A dispensary can obtain its stock from other dispensaries or registered patients or their caregivers. ADHS officials said this also applies to home-growers. As for those who want to grow their own marijuana, there are no state or ADHS rules specifying the origin of the original seeds. There are no provisions in Prop. 203 specifically outlined for home-growers, but regulations still apply. Marijuana must be cultivated in an "enclosed, locked facility," which ADHS defines as an "outdoor space surrounded by solid, 10-foot walls, constructed of metal, concrete or stone, that prevent any viewing of the marijuana plants, with a one-inch thick metal gate." The marijuana must be grown in Arizona. Prop. 203 limits patients to 12 marijuana plants per patient, and a caregiver can assist up to five patients, or cultivate up to 60 plants.
Q.: Who will qualify to receive marijuana?
A.: Qualifying patients must have at least one of the following debilitating medical conditions: cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Lou Gehrig's disease, Crohn's disease or Alzheimer's disease.
They also could qualify if they have one of the following symptoms as a result of a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition, or its treatment: wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures or muscle spasms.
The public can petition to add a disease through the state health department.
Q.: Who can recommend marijuana?
A.: Prop. 203 defines "physician" as doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, naturopathic physician or homeopathic physician.
Doctors must sign the ADHS physician-certification form. They must attest that they have conducted an in-person physical examination; reviewed the patient's medical records, reviewed the patient's profile on the state controlled-substances monitoring database and reviewed the patient's responses to conventional medications and therapies; agree to maintain the patient's medical record; and believes that the patient is likely to receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from using marijuana to treat or alleviate their debilitating medical condition.
There must be a medical director on-call or on-site at each dispensary, but they will not be able to recommend marijuana. Their job is to make sure patients or their caregivers document changes in their symptoms and track their marijuana use, and dispensaries must provide educational materials, such as how to administer marijuana safely, signs of substance abuse or dependency, and possible side effects.
Q.: How do I open a dispensary?
A.: There will be between 120 and 126 dispensaries, proportionate to the number of pharmacies in the state. There will be one dispensary in each Community Health Analysis Area, a geographical breakdown of the state that ADHS previously used to track public-health statistics.
There will be a two-step dispensary application process. Dispensary agents will first apply for a registration certificate, which includes a background check and a business plan. Then they will apply for an operating license, which requires more detailed plans, such as a site plan and a certificate of occupancy.
Dispensary agents can apply online. If there is one qualified applicant for one health area, the department will approve the dispensary. But if there is more than one qualified application for the same health area, prospective dispensaries will be ranked against a set of standards that ADHS has established in its rules. If all applicants rank the same, the department will choose dispensaries randomly.
Dispensaries must get their locations cleared through local jurisdictions before they submit their applications. They are prohibited from locating within 500 feet of schools.
For more information, and the state health department's rules, go to azdhs.gov/prop203.For more questions and answers, go to politics.azcentral.com.
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee The Arizona Republic Mar. 30, 2011 06:40 PM
Q&A: Arizona medical marijuana rules
Rules about medical marijuana in Arizona released
The state health department on Monday released its final version of medical-marijuana rules, which detail how dispensaries will be chosen and distributed throughout the state.
And the Arizona Department of Health Services director said the integrity of the program "is in the hands of Arizona's physicians."
The release wraps up the department's four-month rule-making process. Arizona's medical-marijuana program officially begins April 14, when the department will begin accepting patient applications. Prospective dispensary owners can apply in June. The program should be fully functioning by the end of the year.
In November, voters passed Proposition 203, which will allow qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions to receive up to 2½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants if they live 25 miles or farther from a dispensary. There will be between 120 and 126 dispensaries throughout the state.
It will take some time for the dispensaries to get up and running. ADHS officials estimate that by this November, there will be between 70 and 90 dispensaries operating.
Since early February, the health department received more than 1,450 electronic comments on the second draft of its rules. The agency held four public forums -- in Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson -- where about 150 people gave input.
"Ultimately, whether it becomes recreational over time is directly related to whether physicians across the state take this seriously and really make full assessments of patients, and only write certifications for people who really do have debilitating medical conditions," said Will Humble, ADHS director. He said that "it would take only about 30 doctors" writing certifications for people without valid conditions "to turn this into a recreational marijuana program."
Humble said that one to two years from now, "probably less than 100,000 people," will be qualified patients.
He added, however, that in states like Colorado with a similar program, the number has moved to about 2 to 3 percent of the population, which would be as many as 190,000 Arizonans.
Humble said one of the main problems he expects in the first couple of weeks is patients submitting invalid doctor certifications. Several doctors have been writing medical-pot certifications before the department finalized its rules.
"(Patients have been) walking away with sheets of paper that they believe are certifications that we'll accept. The fact is, we will only accept certifications that are on the department-provided form," he said.
The main changes made to the final version are regarding selecting and distributing dispensaries:
- Dispensary selection
The final version builds on the previous draft's two-step process of approving applications. Dispensary agents will first apply for a registration certificate, which would include a background check and basic information such as location. The agent then will apply for an operating license, which requires more detailed plans.
ADHS has added more requirements to the first application step. For example, applicants must include a business plan that shows projected expenditures before and after the dispensary is operational, and the projected revenue.
- Dispensary distribution
There will be one dispensary in each Community Health Analysis Area, a geographical breakdown of the state that the DHS previously used to track public-health statistics. There are 126 of these health areas in the state.
If there is one qualified applicant for one health area, the department will approve the dispensary. But if there is more than one qualified application for the same health area, prospective dispensaries will be evaluated on a set of standards: whether the dispensary has access to $150,000 in startup capital; whether the applicant has been bankrupt; whether anyone with a 20 percent or more interest in the dispensary is a board member or a principal member; whether the applicant is a resident of Arizona for three years; and whether the applicant has outstanding fees, such as federal, state and local taxes and child support.
If the applicants rank the same, the department will choose dispensaries randomly.
One of the reasons this provision was included in the final rules was to encourage applicants to set up shop in rural areas, Humble said.
If applicants do not meet the standards, they will have a better chance applying for a less-competitive health area.
This is how the medical-marijuana program will look like in Arizona:
Qualified patients or their designated caregivers can apply electronically through the health department's website. Doctors must certify in writing that their patient likely will benefit from using marijuana as a medicine to treat his or her debilitating disease. These conditions include cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and multiple sclerosis.
Doctors who recommend medical pot would attest to conducting an in-person physical examination and reviewing the patient's medical records, profile on the state controlled-substances monitoring database, responses to conventional medications and therapies, and history of prescription-drug use.
There will be a medical director on-call or on-site at each dispensary. They would make sure patients or their caregivers document changes in their symptoms and track their marijuana usage. They also would ensure dispensaries provide educational materials. Medical directors would not be allowed to write medical-marijuana recommendations for patients.
Dispensaries can acquire marijuana only from its cultivation site, another dispensary or that dispensary's cultivation site, or qualifying patients or their caregivers who cultivate marijuana. Dispensaries will be able to sell marijuana-infused food products and transport marijuana.
Until dispensaries start operating, all qualifying patients or their qualifying caregivers may grow their own marijuana.
Read the rules at www.azdhs.gov/prop203
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Bill Hermann The Arizona Republic Mar. 28, 2011 12:58 PM
Rules about medical marijuana in Arizona released
And the Arizona Department of Health Services director said the integrity of the program "is in the hands of Arizona's physicians."
The release wraps up the department's four-month rule-making process. Arizona's medical-marijuana program officially begins April 14, when the department will begin accepting patient applications. Prospective dispensary owners can apply in June. The program should be fully functioning by the end of the year.
In November, voters passed Proposition 203, which will allow qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions to receive up to 2½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries or cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants if they live 25 miles or farther from a dispensary. There will be between 120 and 126 dispensaries throughout the state.
It will take some time for the dispensaries to get up and running. ADHS officials estimate that by this November, there will be between 70 and 90 dispensaries operating.
Since early February, the health department received more than 1,450 electronic comments on the second draft of its rules. The agency held four public forums -- in Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson -- where about 150 people gave input.
"Ultimately, whether it becomes recreational over time is directly related to whether physicians across the state take this seriously and really make full assessments of patients, and only write certifications for people who really do have debilitating medical conditions," said Will Humble, ADHS director. He said that "it would take only about 30 doctors" writing certifications for people without valid conditions "to turn this into a recreational marijuana program."
Humble said that one to two years from now, "probably less than 100,000 people," will be qualified patients.
He added, however, that in states like Colorado with a similar program, the number has moved to about 2 to 3 percent of the population, which would be as many as 190,000 Arizonans.
Humble said one of the main problems he expects in the first couple of weeks is patients submitting invalid doctor certifications. Several doctors have been writing medical-pot certifications before the department finalized its rules.
"(Patients have been) walking away with sheets of paper that they believe are certifications that we'll accept. The fact is, we will only accept certifications that are on the department-provided form," he said.
The main changes made to the final version are regarding selecting and distributing dispensaries:
- Dispensary selection
The final version builds on the previous draft's two-step process of approving applications. Dispensary agents will first apply for a registration certificate, which would include a background check and basic information such as location. The agent then will apply for an operating license, which requires more detailed plans.
ADHS has added more requirements to the first application step. For example, applicants must include a business plan that shows projected expenditures before and after the dispensary is operational, and the projected revenue.
- Dispensary distribution
There will be one dispensary in each Community Health Analysis Area, a geographical breakdown of the state that the DHS previously used to track public-health statistics. There are 126 of these health areas in the state.
If there is one qualified applicant for one health area, the department will approve the dispensary. But if there is more than one qualified application for the same health area, prospective dispensaries will be evaluated on a set of standards: whether the dispensary has access to $150,000 in startup capital; whether the applicant has been bankrupt; whether anyone with a 20 percent or more interest in the dispensary is a board member or a principal member; whether the applicant is a resident of Arizona for three years; and whether the applicant has outstanding fees, such as federal, state and local taxes and child support.
If the applicants rank the same, the department will choose dispensaries randomly.
One of the reasons this provision was included in the final rules was to encourage applicants to set up shop in rural areas, Humble said.
If applicants do not meet the standards, they will have a better chance applying for a less-competitive health area.
This is how the medical-marijuana program will look like in Arizona:
Qualified patients or their designated caregivers can apply electronically through the health department's website. Doctors must certify in writing that their patient likely will benefit from using marijuana as a medicine to treat his or her debilitating disease. These conditions include cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and multiple sclerosis.
Doctors who recommend medical pot would attest to conducting an in-person physical examination and reviewing the patient's medical records, profile on the state controlled-substances monitoring database, responses to conventional medications and therapies, and history of prescription-drug use.
There will be a medical director on-call or on-site at each dispensary. They would make sure patients or their caregivers document changes in their symptoms and track their marijuana usage. They also would ensure dispensaries provide educational materials. Medical directors would not be allowed to write medical-marijuana recommendations for patients.
Dispensaries can acquire marijuana only from its cultivation site, another dispensary or that dispensary's cultivation site, or qualifying patients or their caregivers who cultivate marijuana. Dispensaries will be able to sell marijuana-infused food products and transport marijuana.
Until dispensaries start operating, all qualifying patients or their qualifying caregivers may grow their own marijuana.
Read the rules at www.azdhs.gov/prop203
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Bill Hermann The Arizona Republic Mar. 28, 2011 12:58 PM
Rules about medical marijuana in Arizona released
Mackay: Golden Rule effective in networking
When we were growing up, most of us learned to live by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Not "as they do unto you," but "as you would have them do unto you."
As working professionals, there is another manifestation of this rule, the Golden Rule for Networking. It should permeate all your networking efforts. But it goes against every naturally acquisitive, ambitious and self-serving impulse in each of us.
My Golden Rule of Networking is this: Reciprocity without keeping score. Simply stated, it means "What can I do for you without expecting anything in return?"
Webster's Dictionary says reciprocity is mutual action and mutual exchange.
My definition of reciprocity is quite different. You must give without keeping score. No quid pro quo. It's the one fundamental concept that is the most misunderstood in business today.
To be as candid as I can be, there have been plenty of people over the years who said they were going to help me in some way, but they didn't. Maybe they couldn't. Maybe they just forgot. Maybe they never intended to. It doesn't matter. You cannot keep score, or you will lose.
Let me tell you how it works: If we're smart, we surround ourselves with talented people - the most talented we can find. They are our most powerful assets. That's why I think of this select group as our own personal brain bank. You never know when you'll need to draw on the "accounts" you create with those oh-so-valuable resources.
With every contact within your brain bank - every call and every visit - preferably near the conclusion, sincerely ask the other person what you can do to be helpful to them. Ninety-five percent of the time, people will thank you for asking and tell you that there's really nothing they need. If, however, they do ask you for a favor, then your eyes should light up like the New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square.
As you learn what is being asked for, note every detail with warmth and urgency. Fulfill the request to the best of your ability. As you do it, and after it's done, expect nothing, absolutely nothing, in return. Don't shop for gratitude in your phone calls or e-mails. Do the favor because you like and respect the other person and honestly want to help.
If you live your life in this way, two magical things will happen:
1) Over time, people will find ways to do remarkable and unexpected things for you that make your life easier.
2) When you're hit by a storm in its full fury, you are likely to find the most astonishing human network of support you could ever imagine.
There are countless ways businesspeople can be helpful to each other:
- Help a colleague prepare for a major presentation. Help your friend by pointing out what needs to be clearer: what needs more emphasis, and what seems to drag.
- Be a source for heads-up information. Do it for other business leaders in your community or your industry - perhaps not direct competitors, but almost everyone else.
- Never abuse confidences or share inside information. You only have to do this once and you'll be marked as a security risk for life. Worst of all: You'll never learn what others know about you and why they won't trust you.
- Don't export problems. Sometimes companies try to downsize high-maintenance losers and stick them on another company's payroll. Believe me, if you do that, you will be remembered - and for the wrong reasons. When you terminate people who aren't performing, do them the favor of leveling with them and constructively help them readjust their career focus.
Over the years, my networking focus has shifted from the quantity of contacts I maintain to the quality of contacts. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. The quality of your business is also determined by the quality of your relationships.
by Harvey Mackay March 28, 2011
Mackay: Golden Rule effective in networking
As working professionals, there is another manifestation of this rule, the Golden Rule for Networking. It should permeate all your networking efforts. But it goes against every naturally acquisitive, ambitious and self-serving impulse in each of us.
My Golden Rule of Networking is this: Reciprocity without keeping score. Simply stated, it means "What can I do for you without expecting anything in return?"
Webster's Dictionary says reciprocity is mutual action and mutual exchange.
My definition of reciprocity is quite different. You must give without keeping score. No quid pro quo. It's the one fundamental concept that is the most misunderstood in business today.
To be as candid as I can be, there have been plenty of people over the years who said they were going to help me in some way, but they didn't. Maybe they couldn't. Maybe they just forgot. Maybe they never intended to. It doesn't matter. You cannot keep score, or you will lose.
Let me tell you how it works: If we're smart, we surround ourselves with talented people - the most talented we can find. They are our most powerful assets. That's why I think of this select group as our own personal brain bank. You never know when you'll need to draw on the "accounts" you create with those oh-so-valuable resources.
With every contact within your brain bank - every call and every visit - preferably near the conclusion, sincerely ask the other person what you can do to be helpful to them. Ninety-five percent of the time, people will thank you for asking and tell you that there's really nothing they need. If, however, they do ask you for a favor, then your eyes should light up like the New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square.
As you learn what is being asked for, note every detail with warmth and urgency. Fulfill the request to the best of your ability. As you do it, and after it's done, expect nothing, absolutely nothing, in return. Don't shop for gratitude in your phone calls or e-mails. Do the favor because you like and respect the other person and honestly want to help.
If you live your life in this way, two magical things will happen:
1) Over time, people will find ways to do remarkable and unexpected things for you that make your life easier.
2) When you're hit by a storm in its full fury, you are likely to find the most astonishing human network of support you could ever imagine.
There are countless ways businesspeople can be helpful to each other:
- Help a colleague prepare for a major presentation. Help your friend by pointing out what needs to be clearer: what needs more emphasis, and what seems to drag.
- Be a source for heads-up information. Do it for other business leaders in your community or your industry - perhaps not direct competitors, but almost everyone else.
- Never abuse confidences or share inside information. You only have to do this once and you'll be marked as a security risk for life. Worst of all: You'll never learn what others know about you and why they won't trust you.
- Don't export problems. Sometimes companies try to downsize high-maintenance losers and stick them on another company's payroll. Believe me, if you do that, you will be remembered - and for the wrong reasons. When you terminate people who aren't performing, do them the favor of leveling with them and constructively help them readjust their career focus.
Over the years, my networking focus has shifted from the quantity of contacts I maintain to the quality of contacts. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. The quality of your business is also determined by the quality of your relationships.
by Harvey Mackay March 28, 2011
Mackay: Golden Rule effective in networking
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